


V-Day - SFW Version

by ReddieOrNot (cajungirlkye)



Series: ReddieOrNot's Fix-It-Palooza [16]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajungirlkye/pseuds/ReddieOrNot
Summary: When Eddie's divorce is finalized on Valentine's Day, he expects to stay home and ignore the holiday... Until Richie shows up at his apartment to take Eddie on a surprise 'post-divorce celebration'.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: ReddieOrNot's Fix-It-Palooza [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1517150
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	V-Day - SFW Version

Eddie looked down at the stack of divorce papers that had just been signed and notarized less than an hour ago.  _ Finally. _

He stepped into his apartment right as his phone rang, smiling when he saw Richie's contact photo appear on the screen.

"Hey, Rich," he said with a sigh. "Gimme one second, I just got home."

He set his keys in the bowl on the table by the door and placed his paperwork with his mail on his kitchen island. "Sorry about that. What's up?"

"So, Eds," Richie's voice drawled through the phone's speaker. "How'd the final meeting with your lawyer go?"

"It was fine," Eddie said. "Myra glared at me the entire time we were signing the paperwork but the pre-nup was ironclad, so she literally had nothing else she could fight me on." He snorted. "Plus you know, me being gay is pretty damn 'irreconcilable', don't you think?"

It had taken going back to Derry, getting all his childhood memories back, and seeing his best friends again for the first time in 27 years for Eddie to remember  _ oops, I'm not actually into women. _

Thank you for  _ that _ revelation _ ,  _ Richie. Again.

Eddie had taken one look at his tall-and-lanky-turned-tall-and-broad best friend and thought,  _ yep, I'd still like to climb that like a tree.  _ So as soon as he returned to New York he packed the rest of his things, moved out, and filed for divorce, sending a text to the rest of the Losers:  _ I'm getting a divorce. Oh, and I'm also gay. _

His heart had leapt into his throat when among the group congratulations and words of love, a private text had rolled in from Richie: 

**That makes 2 of us then**

**Gay I mean**

**Not divorced**

**Although now that I think abt it there r 2 of us getting divorced**

**But yeah I'm gay too**

**Just not ready to tell the others**

**Proud of u ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜**

**You're the bravest fucker I know**

Eddie's hands had shaken as he read Richie's stream of texts.  _ Thanks for telling me, _ he had replied back.

A few weeks later Richie had his own coming-out via group text:  **My closet's too small so I decided to come out of it 🏳️🌈**

Eddie had joined in the group congrats, saying simply,  _ Welcome to the club, Rich. ;)  _ Privately, however, he had said.  _ I'm proud of you too.  _ **❤️**

He was brought back to the present by a door shutting in the background and Richie quietly thanking someone. "So, uh... got any big plans now that you're a free man? Gonna download Grindr and find you a hookup?" 

Eddie snorted. "I'm forty-one years old and legally single for the first time in 15 years."  _ On Valentine's Day, no less. _ "All I've got planned for tonight is to drink myself into a stupor and eat cold sesame noodles."

He paused as a knock sounded. "Oh wait, hang on, Rich, someone's at the door."

He walked back over to the door and opened it… then his jaw dropped.

Richie was standing outside his apartment with a shit-eating grin on his face and his phone pressed to his ear. "Hiya, Eds."

Eddie quickly hung up his phone and stuck it in his pocket before pulling Richie inside. "Richie? What the fuck are you doing here?" 

"Now, is that any way to greet your best friend?" Richie said teasingly.

"Shit, fuck, sorry," Eddie said quickly, pulling Richie into a brief hug. "Ok,  _ now  _ what the fuck are you doing here?"

Richie laughed. "Dude, you honestly think I was going to let my best friend spend his first night of freedom alone? I'm taking you out to celebrate, my treat!"

"You flew all the way from California just for that?" Eddie was touched.

Richie shrugged casually. "Eh, I'm a minor celebrity with more frequent-flier miles and hotel points than I know what to do with. Besides, it's been a while since we've seen each other, so I was due some Spaghetti time."

"Don't call me that, asshole," Eddie said automatically, but there was no heat to the statement. "I honestly don't know what to say, Rich."

Richie shook his head. "Don't say anything, just go get your cute little ass ready to go. I made dinner reservations."

_ How the fuck did Richie manage to get last-minute reservations on Valentine's Day? _ Eddie thought.  _ I guess being a celebrity comes in handy sometimes. _

He took in Richie's appearance. His dark curly hair had been recently trimmed and he was wearing a blue suit that brought out the color of his beautiful blue eyes. Eddie also noticed that he had switched out his larger, square-framed glasses for a smaller, rectangular pair that accented his eyes rather than just magnified them.

He swallowed.  _ Oh, I'm so fucked. _ "I'll, uh, I'll go get ready then?"

He took the hottest shower he could possibly stand then dressed in the red custom-made suit Bev had gifted him for Christmas.  _ You never know when you'll have the opportunity to wear it, _ she had said at the time. 

Well, now seemed like the perfect occasion.

He stepped into his prized Gucci loafers then took a deep breath before stepping back out into the living room. "Hey, Rich, I'm ready."

Richie was busy texting on his phone. "Great, let me just call a car and we can…" He looked up and visibly swallowed. "...Go."

Eddie flushed. "Do I look ok?"

"Uh." Richie blinked. "Yeah, yeah. Yeah, dude, you look hot. I mean fine. I mean great. Good, you look… you look good."

_ Richie thinks I look hot? _ Eddie felt giddy at the compliment. "You look nice too, Rich. I like your, uh, your…"  _ Everything. _ "...Suit."

He pointed back towards his bedroom. "Let me just… grab my coat?"

"Yeah, ok."

They headed downstairs and into the waiting car Richie had summoned. Richie held the door open for Eddie and gestured for Eddie to get in before sliding in next to him.

Eddie watched out the window while Richie chatted with their driver. He allowed himself to imagine that he and Richie were on a date-- that Richie had flown into NYC to surprise Eddie with a romantic Valentine's meal for two before heading back to Eddie's apartment for some after-dinner drinks… and maybe some other after-dinner activities.

He mentally shook himself as the car came to a stop in front of the Royal 35 Steakhouse, thanking their driver before following Richie out of the car and into the restaurant.

"Welcome to Royal 35, may I help you?" the maitre'd said briskly.

"Reservation for two under Tozier," Richie replied smoothly.

The maitre'd tapped at his computer briefly. "Ah, yes, Mr. Tozier, right this way."

They were led to a private table near the back of the restaurant. Once they were seated and their drink orders had been taken, Eddie looked around the dimly-lit restaurant. "I've uh, never been here before," Eddie said. He had offhandedly mentioned to Richie something about wanting to go there once, but that had been months ago. There was no way Richie had remembered Eddie saying that. 

Richie glanced up from where he had been studying the menu intently. "Me either, but when I was Googling earlier to find somewhere to take you tonight this place looked nice, had good reviews. Plus it's pretty close to what I had planned after dinner."

"After dinner?"

Richie took a sip of his water. "Yeah, I told you, it's not every day my best friend gets divorced. We've got to celebrate."

Eddie inwardly cringed. He loved Richie, he really did, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Richie's after-dinner plans included a hot, crowded bar or nightclub and Eddie really wasn't ready for that.  _ Besides, there's only one person I'd be even remotely interested in taking home and he's sitting right across from me. _

Eddie cleared his throat. "So you, uh, you seeing anyone?"

Richie blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "What? Oh, uh, no. Not seeing anyone. Been too busy, you know? Besides, no one's really caught my eye lately."

Eddie nodded, filled with a hot mix of relief and shame. Relief because as long as Richie was single Eddie had a chance with him -- if Eddie could ever work up the courage to tell Richie how he felt -- and shame because Richie  _ was _ his best friend and he wanted him to be happy, even if the thought of Richie with someone other than Eddie made him want to fling himself off of the Empire State building.

They were interrupted by their server bringing their wine and taking their orders. Once they were alone again, Richie raised his glass. "A toast," he said with a soft smile, "to the first day of the rest of your life. I'm proud of you, Eds."

Eddie clinked his glass against Richies. "Thanks, Rich. And thanks again for flying all the way out here just to take me to post-divorce dinner. You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it so much."

Richie shrugged. "Like I said, it's no big deal."

Eddie shook his head. "It is to me." He took a sip of his wine. "Oh, that reminds me, how long are you in town for?"

"Uh, few days," Richie said. "I figured since I'm not here for work I can actually do some of the touristy shit and check out the Big Apple."

"I took the entire week off for divorce stuff so maybe I can show you around then?" 

Richie nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Their food arrived a few minutes later and they sat in comfortable silence, occasionally remarking about their food. Richie  _ insisted  _ that Eddie try a bite of his steak, while Eddie raved about the lobster mac & cheese that he had chosen as a side dish for his grilled salmon, spearing a piece on his fork and pointing it towards Richie. "I swear, dude, this is amazing. You gotta try a bite."

"Uh, are you sure?" Richie said in surprise. "I know how you are about germs and shit."

Eddie shrugged. "We shared ice cream when we were kids, I figure if your germs haven't killed me by now that I'm probably immune to them by this point."

Richie laughed. "Ok, if you insist." Slowly, his big hand wrapped around Eddie's own, bringing Eddie's fork closer to his mouth and wrapping his lips around it, all while staring Eddie dead in the eye.

He licked his lips. "Wow, you were right. That  _ is _ amazing."

Eddie's pants tightened.  _ Ok, maybe that was a bad idea. _

He cleared his throat. "Right?"

They continued talking throughout the rest of dinner, catching up on what had been happening in their lives that hadn't already been covered in neither the group chat nor their own private conversations.

Soon they were finished and Richie paid the check, thanking their server once again for the wonderful meal.

Eddie stood and pulled his coat back on. 

"Okay," Richie said, inputting something in on his phone. "Now on to part 2 of your post-divorce celebration."

He whisked Eddie into another waiting car.

Eddie tried to stay upbeat, but his heart sank at the thought of being around so many sweaty people.

About 10 minutes later, the car stopped.

Eddie sighed, thanked their driver, and got out of the car-- not standing in front of a nightclub as expected, but at the entrance to Central Park.

"What are we doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"Uh…" Richie gestured to their left. "That."

Eddie looked over and saw a horse-drawn carriage waiting for them.

"You had mentioned once that you always wanted to take a carriage ride through Central Park, but that your wife never wanted to," Richie explained. "So I thought this would be a way to celebrate your divorce and might be...fun?" 

_ Shit, fuck, I don't know if I can handle a carriage ride through Central Park with Richie tonight. _ Eddie swallowed. "Don't you think that's a bit… romantic? Especially for today?"

"What do you mean?"

Eddie blinked. "Richie, you  _ do _ know what today is, right?"

Richie looked nervous. "Tuesday?"

Eddie shook his head. "The date, Rich." 

Richie still looked blank.

Eddie sighed.  _ He obviously doesn't know.  _ "It's the fourteenth. Valentine's Day."

Richie chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, is it? In that case we uh... we don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable or don't want to, I just thought…"

A stab of ice through Eddie's heart. "No!" he said quickly. "No, no, it's… it's fine. We can do it. It was… unexpected, that's all."  _ I'll just have to take several cold showers when I get home, that's all. _

They introduced themselves to their coachman then Eddie climbed into the carriage, followed by Richie.

Richie turned to Eddie as they started to go. "Still a human popsicle, Eds?"

"Still a human furnace?" Eddie snarked back.

In truth, Eddie had always sought Richie out for warmth. When they had had sleepovers as kids Eddie would frequently wake to find his sleeping bag snuggled against Richie's, Richie's arms wrapped around Eddie as he softly snored in Eddie's ear. Even when they got older and it was no longer 'appropriate' for them to sleep in the same bed, Eddie would still climb in next to Richie and press to him for warmth.

Richie pulled out a blanket and held it out to Eddie. "It's clean, I promise. I bought it myself and had it delivered while we were at dinner."

"Oh."  _ Christ, he's so thoughtful.  _ "Thanks, Rich."

Eddie took the blanket and scooted closer to Richie, covering both of them.

Richie smiled and wrapped an arm around Eddie's shoulders, drawing him in. "So I can keep the rest of you warm," he explained nonchalantly.

Eddie breathed in Richie's scent, relaxing as the sounds of the horse clopping along and the carriage wheels turning lulled him into a serene calm.  _ This is perfect,  _ he thought,  _ even if Richie had completely forgotten that it was Valentine's Day and still managed to somehow accidentally plan the most romantic (non) date that I've ever been on _ .

Too soon, they had made an entire circuit around the park and were back at the entrance.

Richie clambered out of the carriage and held out his hand. "Here, Eds, let me help you."

"I'm not  _ that _ fucking short, Richie, I can get out of the carriage without help," Eddie grumbled, but still took Richie's hand as he stepped down.

"Thank you!" he said to the coachman.

"Have a good evening, gentlemen," their coachmen replied. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Uh, yeah, you too."

He turned to Richie as the carriage drove away. "I really enjoyed that, Rich. Thanks."

Richie shook his head. "No problem, Eds."

"So, uh." Eddie rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Is there a part 3 to my post-divorce celebration?"

Richie shifted the blanket from one arm to the other. "I thought about maybe post-dinner drinks at my hotel?"

Eddie nodded. "Or you could just come back to my place? We can open up that bottle of bourbon Ben and Bev gave me at their wedding -- I've been saving it for a special occasion, and what's more special than celebrating my divorce with my best friend?"

Richie grinned. "That sounds great."

"Shall we get a car, then?"

Richie tapped on his phone. "Already done."

A few minutes later their ride pulled up, and soon they were back at Eddie's apartment.

"Make yourself comfortable," Eddie said as he unlocked the door and turned his light on. "You know where everything is."

He set his keys down and shrugged his coat off, hanging it and his suit jacket in his closet and removing his tie before heading back to the kitchen. "How do you want your drink?" 

Richie, who had also taken his suit jacket off and loosened his tie, appeared behind him. "Oh, uh, on the rocks."

Eddie grabbed two glasses, stopping by the freezer to put a few ice cubes in both before grabbing the bottle of bourbon.

He turned towards Richie, who was looking down at the stack of divorce papers.

"So these are it, huh?" Richie asked.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah."

Richie looked contemplative. "Hmm. Anyway, let's get our drink on, Eds!"

They made their way over to Eddie's sofa. Eddie set their glasses down on coasters and poured them two fingers each before handing Richie his glass and taking a sip of his own drink. "Wow, good stuff."

He set his drink down and turned to Richie, who was watching him carefully. "What?"

Richie shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just… I'm just happy to be here with you."

Eddie smiled. "Yeah, me too. You have no idea how much I appreciate you coming all the way out here on a whim just to support me."

He laughed. "Although seriously, dude, you have  _ got _ to be more famous than you give yourself credit for. I have no idea how you managed to pull off last-minute dinner reservations at one of the nicest steakhouses in New York on Valentine's Day otherwise, much less also be able to book a horse-and-buggy ride through Central Park."

"Yeah, uh, about that." Richie huffed out a breath. "Look, Eds, I gotta be honest with you. I, uh, I didn't make those dinner reservations last-minute, and I didn't fly out here on a whim just because your divorce was getting finalized today, either. I actually planned all of it months ago."

Eddie's breath hitched. "What?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I actually made those reservations the day you told us that you were getting a divorce and came out." Richie took a sip of his bourbon before setting it down. "I fucking knew today was Valentine's Day, okay? I was going to take you out for a nice quiet dinner then a romantic carriage ride around Central Park, and I was going to tell you that I've been in love with you for over 30 years, but then your divorce wound up being finalized today and I figured the last thing you probably wanted was for me to dump my feelings all over you, but maybe you'd be okay with a post-divorce bro-hang."

Eddie blinked. "You love me?"

Richie's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, dude, ever since we were kids."

"And you planned a date for us -- on Valentine's Day -- so you could tell me how you felt?"

Richie let out a watery laugh. "Yeah. I realize how stupid it all sounds now--"

Eddie shook his head. "Richie, that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."

He reached out and took Richie's hand. "I love you too," he said. "I've loved you since the day you told Liam Harper to fuck off after he was making fun of me for having an asthma attack in the middle of my book report. I love you, Rich, I've always loved you, and I always  _ will _ love you."

Richie looked at him with wide eyes. "Eds--"

Eddie pulled Richie in by his lapels and kissed him. 

Eddie had had several first kisses in his life -- granted they had all been with women -- but none of them would ever compare to kissing Richie. Richie's lips were soft -- if just  _ slightly _ chapped -- and they melded perfectly to Eddie's as if they had been made for each other. The scrape of Richie's stubble against Eddie's cheek as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss sent electric shockwaves through Eddie's body.  _ I want to spend the rest of my life kissing Richie, _ he thought.

He reached up and cupped Richie's face in his hands as they broke the kiss. "Just so you know, this has been the best date I've ever had."

Richie grinned. "Mine too. But I guess we'll just have to try to top it with future dates, won't we?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Eddie grinned as he leaned in to kiss Richie once again.


End file.
